


Playing With Lightning

by CaffeineAddict823



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Fellswap (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Blood and Violence, Don't touch OC's family, F/F, F/M, Faerie Courts, LITERALLY, Mild Language, Multi, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Tempeste is queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25835305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeineAddict823/pseuds/CaffeineAddict823
Summary: Black and Mutt have a new pet human. But she has powerful family and heaven help those who mess with the De la Cours.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale)/Original Female Character(s), Sans (Undertale)/Original Character(s), W. D. Gaster/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 22





	1. The calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic.  
> Constructive criticism is welcome.

It was nearing nightfall. The sky a bright array of pinks and yellows, as the sun set on the town of Ebbott. Humans, monsters, and fae watched the sky with awe and appreciation as the day drew to a close.  
But the sky’s beauty was lost on one family of fae.  
“Found anything?” one female asked as her brother tiredly sulked through the door.  
“No. Not yet,” the male ran a hand through tawny hair, as his sister approached him.  
“Where could she be, Lucian? She should’ve been back hours ago.”  
“I don’t know, Yvonne,” Lucian wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head under his chin. “I don’t know.”  
The door swung open as two dark fae entered their home.  
“Well, none of our kinsmen know anything.” The male slammed the door.  
“And the humans were useless,” the female added. “As usual.”  
The other fae smirked at her quip, but the humor didn’t dispel the tense atmosphere in the house. Lucian was still comforting Yvonne, and the dark-haired twins sunk dejectedly on one of the sofas.  
Lucian had tawny hair cut short at the sides and back with the top spiked up in a small mohawk. He was pale with black eyes, and tall, about 6’1. Yvonne had beautiful brown hair that faded into gold at the ends which reached her shoulder blades. The light fae’s eyes were a soft amber that accentuated her sun-kissed golden skin and 5’6 frame. The twins were 5’9 with olive complexions and sharp golden eyes. The female had feathery dark brown hair that reached her chin. Her male counterpart kept his long hair in a high ponytail, though the ends still reached the small of his back. All of the fae were thin and muscled with long fingers, sharp features, elongated canines, and pointed ears.  
An hour passed as the fae comforted one another and waited. The beautiful sky had faded to soft pinks and purples when the font door flew open once more. The eldest of the siblings came into view. She was tall, 6’6, with raven black hair and stormy gray eyes. Her skin was a dark almond color and her hair was styled in an asymmetrical pixie cut, the left side short and the right came to the fae’s collarbone. Obsidian horns crowned her head, they reminded many of the popular Disney villainess, Maleficent. Her usually calm face was lined with worry. The fae searched the faces of her siblings, panic twisting in her gut as their gazes dropped to the floor.  
“Where could she be?” the eldest fae turned back to the open door, glaring at the sky. Never in all of her 527 years had she felt so… helpless. Even when she lost their parents in the war 50 years ago, the female knew what had to be done to protect her family. But now, she was at a loss.  
A slender hand hesitantly came to rest on her shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Tempeste,” said her dark sister. “We’ll find her.”  
The male twin slowly rose from the sofa and came to Tempeste’s other side. “There’s a few places we haven’t looked…” He stared hard at the floor as he mumbled.  
His twin stared, “You don’t think,” she swallowed, “that someone took her?”  
Tempeste’s eyes darkened. “She doesn’t know any monsters. Has few human friends. But if our kin know nothing…” The worry in her face became fury. Small threads of electricity danced across her hair and horns. Strom clouds blossomed across the sky, dark and ominous. The citizens of Ebbott scrambled for cover as the formerly lovely heavens rained down a certain fae’s wrath. “Tonight we rest,” she said closing the door. “Tomorrow,” a feral smile spread across Tempeste’s ethereal features. “Tomorrow we hunt.”  
~~~~~~  
“so lemme get this straight” Red tiredly scowled at Black and Mutt.  
“ya thought it’d be a good idea ta get a pet…” he glanced down at the struggling woman in Mutt’s arms, “human?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada!  
> Hope you enjoy my word vomit


	2. Shocking Cruelty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire isn't as well-mannered as Black would like... Wing Dings has a 'solution'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy! I'm back, bitches! Sorry for the wait.

“PET!!!!” Black’s voice thundered through the house.  
Red groaned into his pillow as the shouts of his alternate self wake him from his nap. Did the human try to escape again? He rolled onto his back and flopped the pillow over his skull, trying to block out the noise. This human of Black’s had caused him nothing but trouble this past week.  
That first night she had done everything in her power to get out of Mutt’s vice-like grip, shouting curses in English as well as a language none of the skeletons understood. Black had found it cute at first, but after an hour she showed no signs of quieting down. Most of the skeletons had retreated to their rooms by the time she lost her voice. The quiet didn’t last long. The sky clouded over, too quickly to be natural, and it started to rain and thunder. Black’s human had calmed with the storm.  
As the next week went by, the storm remained constant, and the human alternated between escape attempts, swearing at her captors, and threats of a ‘sister that would find her and make them suffer’.  
Red had risen a brow-bone at that.  
“PET! WHERE ARE YOU?!”  
With a huff of annoyance, Red rolled out of bed. If he couldn’t sleep, he was heading over to Grillby’s.

Claire had hidden herself in the closet of one of the older skeletons. Gavin? Garfield? She didn’t try to remember their names. She was surrounded by lab coats, leather jackets, and elegant turtleneck sweaters; Claire knew they wouldn’t find her here. Well, she hoped. The one called Mutt had an unnerving knack for tracking her down.  
“PET!” Black’s voice was getting progressively angrier every minute. Claire grinned with satisfaction. She found his annoyance tres drôle.  
Black had kidnapped Claire while she was on her way to a friend’s house. One of her few human ones. He had shouted something about pets and had his faithful mutt of a brother (haha pun) fetch her. As far as Claire was concerned, Black already had one ‘pet’ too many. He didn’t need another. 

It took Mutt an hour to find her. He didn’t say anything as he dragged her down to the basement. Claire had never been down there before. It wasn’t allowed.  
The basement was large. There were several desks and work benches for the more scientific minded skeletons spread-out around the room. There was a door leading to another room, possibly for more dangerous experiments as the door was heavily reinforced with metal and locked with a keypad.  
Mutt pulled Claire across the room towards Black and another skeleton, Wing Dings. Black was scowling at Claire with his arms crossed.  
“It’s About Time.” He stomped over to Mutt and Claire. She flinched as one gloved hand reached for her neck. Black quickly removed the collar he’d forced on her the week before. Then, he nudged Claire towards Wing Dings.  
Wing Dings lifted her chin, exposing her throat and Claire felt the cool metal of a new collar around her neck. After Wing Dings secured it, he turned towards the brothers.  
“The collar should help keep her from running away,” Wing Dings explained. “It’s tuned to your magic, so you’ll be able to track her, and,” he smiled sadistically, “punish her should there be a need.” The Fell skeleton turned to his desk, a clear dismissal to the swapped versions of his brothers.  
Once the skeletons and Claire were back upstairs, the human gripped her new collar, trying to pull it off. She screamed; her knees buckled as the collar sent a wave of pain through her.  
As quickly as it had started, the pain stopped. Claire slumped to the floor, whimpering. The entirety of her 4’10 frame shook. Mutt crouched down and softly stroked her red hair. He didn’t say anything, he never did. Black huffed at the scene. With arms crossed, he stomped off. Leaving his lanky brother with the woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well. The skellies finally make an appearance. Don't worry. Our lovely fae are comin' for poor Claire.


	3. Finding Claire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's the classic Sans? How does Claire get found? We find out in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K. So real quick, a brief explanation. Claire is thiccc AF and we love her for it. There's French cause we in Canada.

\--Flashback—  
 _The door burst open and several soldiers flooded the house. Tempeste watched as they dragged away her mother and father. As the remaining soldiers searched for the rest of the family, Tempeste struggled to move, to breathe. She was completely frozen. She could do nothing but observe the ransacking of her home in strangled silence. The edges of her vision darken, and the scene fades away._  
 _Blinding light hits the fae and she finds herself amidst a faceless crowd of her dark kinsmen. Before her on a raised platform, knelt her parents, their backs bloody and wingless, chains circled their arms, binding them to the floor. Behind them, a silhouette of a woman, bat-like wings spread, horns twisting upward. Tempeste was pulled forward, closer and closer and closer still. Dark, maniacal laughter rang in her head and the crowd of fae melted away until the only thing filling her senses was the cackling of the figure and its cold, lightless eyes. Tempeste heard screaming. She began to shake uncontrollably, and she was pulled closer to the dark figure. Closer. Closer. Closer. Clo-_  
With a gasp, Tempeste bolted upright, the sheets tangled about her shaking form. Sparks of electricity danced across her fingertips. She was breathing heavily, almost choking on the air she pulled into her lungs. A hand shakily made its way up to her head, fingers brushing through her hair until they met a smooth horn. Tempeste snatched her hand back and clutched it to her chest.  
“It was a dream, just a dream, it’s not real,” she whispered to herself. “Your safe, they’re safe, she can’t hurt them, she’s gone, she’s gone, it’s not real,” the female threw off the covers and stood slowly. “They’re safe, Monique, Valentin, Yvonne, Lucian, Clair-“ Tempeste froze, hand on the doorknob. “C-claire,” tears ran down her cheeks, and Tempeste rested her forehead on the door of her room, “Claire.” She finally broke, sliding down to her knees and burying her face in her hands.

Red was, for once, not napping away in his room. He slouched in a comfortable recliner in the living room, idly flipping through the channels on the TV. From a pocket in his well-worn jacket came the buzzing of his phone. Grumbling, Red pulled the device out.  
“yeah?” Red mumbled into the phone.  
“hey, bud. how’s everything goin’ over there?” Classic asked in his typical, easy-going way, “anybody dead?”  
“ev’rythin’s fine,” Red rolled his eyes. Classic, Paps, Gaster, and the Swap brothers were off in the UK with Asgore, Tori, and Frisk for some international government meetings or whatever. They had left Gaster’s Fell alternate, Wing Dings, in charge. But Wing Dings was engrossed in his experiments, leaving Red to reign in the terror that was the Fellswap brothers. Not that he did much of that. Classic checked-in with him every so often to make sure there’d be a house still standing when they returned.  
“so meetings are takin’ a bit longer than they were supposed to. some queen skipped out and not much is gettin’ done,” Sans continued, “we’ll be a little longer than planned.”  
“m’kay,” Red turned his attention back to the TV, flipping a few more channels before shutting it off.  
“so, bye I guess.”  
“bye,” Red hung up and tossed his phone across the room with a quiet “yeet”.  
Meanwhile, the storm still raged outside.

\--3 weeks after Claire’s kidnapping--  
Grillby’s always had a warm, comfortable atmosphere. It was the kind of place where humans, fae, and monsters could sit side by side without care. Racial discrimination was almost unheard of at the fire elemental’s famous establishment.  
The tables were full, and the kitchen bustling. And at the end of the bar, sat a pair well into their second bottle of whiskey. One was a tawny-haired, light fae; the other, a certain skeleton with sharp teeth and a taste for mustard. To an outsider, it seemed like the skeleton was trying to cheer up his fae friend, and that would’ve been true if their friendship was any deeper than drinking buddies.  
Red was in the middle of a thrilling story about a prank he played on his younger brother, when his companion laid his head on the bar with a dull thunk.  
“eh… you ok there?” Red poked his buddy’s shoulder.  
“wan’ me ta shuddup?” Red wasn’t offended, sometimes a guy just needs to get shitfaced in silence. Though he’d never seen a fae more than tipsy, his friend included. Even now, the male wasn’t too drunk, despite the ungodly amount of alcohol he’d consumed.  
The fae remained facedown on the bar top. “Mmhm,” he replied, sullenly.  
For the next hour or so, the two sat there. The fae in silence, while Red and Grillby chatted in between drink orders. Eventually, the pair was joined by two more fae, the twins.  
“Come on Lucian,” Valentin said softly, “it’s time to return home.”  
Lucian mumbled, “What’s the point? We’re never gonna find her.”  
Monique sighed, the voices of the other patrons were giving her a headache, especially the skeleton beside her little brother.  
 _damn. fergot what a hot piece of ass luce’s sis wuz._  
Monique shuddered and did her best to block him out, and her twin, sensing her discomfort moved himself between the skeleton and his sister.  
“Lucian?” Monique wrapped an arm around him and pulled him to his feet. The fae wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. She smiled a little and hugged him back. “Lucian, mon petit frère. We must get home. We have to keep searching in the morning.”  
“watcha lookin’ fer, doll? mebe I can ‘elp,” Red asked, eager to get into the woman’s good graces… among other things.  
The twins shared a look, after a silent conversation, Valentin broke his stare with a scowl. While Monique began to describe their missing sister.  
“She’s 23 and rather short, with bright red, curly hair. She’s kind of chubby as well, like a teddy bear.”  
As Monique described Claire, a picture formed in Red’s mind. Monique saw a memory of Claire sitting on a couch with a lanky skeleton with sharp teeth. Though she didn’t show it, Valentin felt her shock. The fae and Red exited the bar and parted ways, the skeleton saying he’d keep an eye out for their missing sister.  
 _He knows where she is_ , Monique hissed in her twin’s mind. _Take Lucian home. I’ll handle this **connard.**_ Valentin slung his brother’s arm over his shoulder and Monique released her grip on him. Turning a corner, they separated. Valentin heading homeward with a tipsy Lucian, while Monique shifted into a less conspicuous form.

Red stumbled home in the rain. He would’ve teleported if he wasn’t almost completely sloshed, and the house wasn’t too far. He had to talk to Wings. Black’s human already belonged to someone else. Red wasn’t sure how to handle this. He’d rather talk to someone else, but Edge had holed himself up in his room because of the storm and Mutt was helpless against his own brother. As he drunkenly entered the house, a peregrine falcon landed in a tree close by. The bird scanned each window with sharp eyes until it found what it was looking for. With a large flap of its wings, the falcon landed on a windowsill and began furiously tapping on the glass with its beak.

Black had gone to bed hours ago and Mutt was in the basement fiddling in his workspace, leaving Claire to entertain herself. She wasn’t tired, so she perused the bookshelf in Mutt’s room trying to find something to amuse herself.  
Claire was scanning through a promising book, when she heard tapping on the window. The woman didn’t notice it at first, because of the rain drumming against the house. Then the rhythm of the tapping changed and grabbed her attention. She looked up and ran to the window. Claire quickly fumbled with the latch and pushed the window up. A bird darted in and Claire closed the window.  
 _Monique_ , she thought happily as the fae returned to her more humanoid form. The two sisters embraced, crying with relief.  
 _Claire, **ma chérie**_ , Monique breathed, squeezing her sister tightly. She pulled away, looking Claire over, _are you alright?_  
The human nodded. _Take me home. Please._ She begged silently. Monique nodded absently, having caught sight of the collar around her sister’s throat. She reached out to touch it but was stopped with a wave of memories from Claire. Shocks from the collar. Small ones for any ‘misbehavior’, larger ones inflicted whenever she tried to remove it. And some shocks came just because of a shorter, loud skeleton’s bad mood. Monique gasped at the ghostly pain trickling across her own neck from these memories. Her face, usually graced with a humorous smile, was twisted in fury towards this new skeleton monster. The small, human woman pulled her sister towards the window and opened it. Shaking her head free of the onslaught of memories, Monique scooped up her little sister and leapt from the second story window, unfurling her large, dark grey wings. The two women silently flew off into the stormy sky, leaving behind an open window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 more days 'till Halloween! My favorite holiday!


	4. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monique brings Claire home and the family is whole once more!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!!!! Sorry this chapter took so long. It was kinda hard to get out right.

The flight home wasn’t long, despite the rain and wind. The lights were on in the house and Monique was happy to sense the rest of her siblings waiting for them. As they landed gracefully at the door, Claire shivered. The two were wet from the rain. Once they were inside, Monique used her magic to pull the water out of her little sister’s hair and clothing before doing the same for herself.

As she finished, Lucian ran up to Claire and swept her up into his arms. “ _Ma sœur!_ We found you, _petit colibri_ ,” he spun around with joy. Claire smiled and laughed softly. And Monique shook her head at the childishness of the light fae. At least he’d sobered up, tipsy Lucian was always a bit depressed and clingy. Now he was just clingy.

Refusing to release his human sister, Lucian went further into the house to the living room where the rest of the De La Cours were. Lucian settled on the couch, in between Valentin and Yvonne, and cuddled Claire to his chest. Monique squished herself next to her twin on the end of the couch. Tempeste, however, remained in her favorite armchair across the room. As she observed her siblings a weight seemed to lift off her shoulders and her face softened. She didn’t smile, but her expression could almost be considered content. Outside, the rain stopped and the wind let up.

Sadly, the happy atmosphere didn’t last long.

“Claire?” the eldest fae spoke through clenched teeth, “what is that… thing around your neck?”

Monique answered for her, “It’s a collar, Tempeste.” Her voice lowered, “A shock collar.”

Tempeste rose from her chair and approached the group. Slowly, she crouched in front of Claire.

“May I see it, _ma petite_?” she spoke softly, mindful of the warnings Monique whispered in her mind. Claire debated with herself for a moment. During the flight home, she’d shared as much of her imprisonment as she could with Monique through her thoughts and memories. She knew Monique was telepathically sending what she knew of the collar to Tempeste, so she could remove the awful thing. But the memories of her own attempts to pull it off made Claire hesitant. Slowly, Claire slid out of her brother’s arms toward the woman who raised her.

Once she settled on the floor in front of Tempeste, the fae rested a hand on Claire’s shoulder the other hovered over the collar. Tempeste reached out with her magic, exploring the mechanics of the collar. Small sparks of electricity allowed her to map out the wretched thing in her mind. When she located the latch, she lightly rested her fingers on it. Suddenly, shocks started peppering through the collar, causing Claire to tense in preparation for the pain. But the pain never came. Tempeste had drawn the electricity into herself, not allowing a single volt to touch her precious sister. Quickly, the fae removed the collar, freeing Claire. The human woman cupped her throat, feeling the tender flesh. Her siblings could clearly see a ring of red, irritated skin where the collar had rested. Yvonne dropped to her knees and carefully placed her long, thin fingers at Claire’s neck, healing her. Claire slumped into Yvonne’s chest, letting exhaustion claim her at last.

“Take her upstairs. To bed,” Tempeste ordered her youngest siblings. Yvonne lifted Claire into her arms, holding her bridal style, and headed to the staircase with Lucian close behind.

Now that they were alone, Tempeste returned to her seat and the twins shifted to the love-seat closer to their older sister. Monique quickly relayed all she learned from Claire about the skeleton monsters the human had been taken by. They noticed that the only one who ever harmed their sister was the short, loud, spikey skeleton who called himself, Black.

After Monique was finished, she fell silent. The only sound came from the clicking of the collar in Tempeste’s hands as she fiddled with it, thinking. The fae woman exhaled sharply and leaned forward.

“All right, _mes chers_ , here’s the plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all should be thankful for my roommate. She pestered me until I actually wrote this. lol


	5. Wretched Morning, Everyone!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Claire's rescue. We see deeper into the skele's relationships with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dudes. I'm sorry this is late. I'll try to be better, but no promises lol

Red woke up to a pounding headache. He had returned home and passed out on the stairs. The smell of coffee led him back down to the kitchen, where his little brother was making breakfast.

“YOU LOOK LIKE SHIT,” Edge greeted his brother, as Red stumbled up to sit at the island.

Red wasn’t expecting to see his brother that morning. Edge had a paralyzing fear of thunder and had spent the entirety of the past three weeks in his room. The only time Red had seen him was when he’d brought Edge food two or three times a day.

“storm’s gone?” Red mumbled to the counter top. He remained face down at the island as Edge place a mug of coffee near his skull. Edge grunted in affirmation, leaning his seven-foot frame on the counter by the stove and taking a sip of his own caffeinated bean juice.

As the morning progressed, the rest of the spikey household made an appearance. Mutt blipped into existence next to the coffee maker, Wing Dings emerged from the basement, and Black returned from his morning run. Breakfast was eaten, coffee consumed, and small talk was disregarded. Mutt kept glancing to the empty seat beside him as if its usual occupant would appear any moment. When she didn’t, the lanky skeleton caught his brother’s eye(light), silently asking where the newest ~~unwilling~~ addition to their household was with a motion of his head.

“WHAT?” Black hadn’t seen his pet since he went to bed last night. “WASN’T PET WITH YOU?” The tiny human usually slept in Mutt’s room. He had quickly become her ‘favorite’ skeleton. However, when Mutt went to bed in the early hours of the morning, she wasn’t there. He had assumed she was with Black.

When Mutt shook his head, Black jumped up, “PET!!!! BREAKFAST!”

“oi, pipe down will ya? gotta hangover here,” Red cradled his skull in his hands.

Black ignored him and quickly marched up the stairs, looking for ‘Pet’. After a minute, Red’s skull popped up from the counter top.

“wait a second. th’ human!” Red turned to Wing Dings, panicked, “wings, we gotta take ‘er back!”

“What?”

“why?” Mutt scowled at Red.

“she’s luce’s sister,” Red returned Mutt’s dirty look. His brother, Wing Dings, looked at him, quizzically, over his coffee cup. “y’know. luce? ma drinkin’ buddy? the clingy one?”

The new information didn’t help Wings figure out who his brother meant, but Edge’s eyelights lit up with recognition.

“THE FAE FROM THAT GREASE TRAP YOU LIKE?”

“yea, tha’ one.”

Wings finished his coffee and rose to refill his cup. “Don’t care, Sans,” he grumbled.

Seconds later, Black stomped down the stairs and back into the kitchen, “MUTT, WHERE IS MY PET?! SHE’S NOT IN HER USUAL SPOTS.”

“don’ know, m’lord.”

“WELL, GO AND FIND HER, YOU USELESS DOG!” Black gave his brother a smack upside the head before Mutt disappeared with a pop.

Red scowled at the bossy skeleton’s back. He was no stranger to ‘tough love’, but the way Black treated his brother was a bit much. “why don’cha use the collar ta find ‘er?”

Black rolled his eyelights but complied. He focused on the magic trace in the collar, expecting to locate his pet in some corner of the house.

But he didn’t.

“WHAT THE HELL? WHY IS SHE SO FAR AWAY?”

Wing Dings stared quizzically, “How far is the human?”

“THREE MILES NORTHWEST OF HERE!” Black started for the door. “MUTT! COME HERE!”

The lanky skeleton popped into existence beside his brother, “m’lord?”

“PET RAN AWAY AGAIN. LET’S GO.”

Edge scoffed, “WHY GO SO QUICKLY? I’D LEAVE IT FOR A DAY. LET IT SUFFER IN THE COLD AS PUNISHMENT FOR ITS DISOBEDIENCE.”

Black paused, considering the idea. Then he turned and tromped his way up the stairs, “EXCELLENT IDEA! WE’LL WAIT UNTIL AFTER DINNER. THEN MY PET WILL KNOW NOT TO TEST THE PATIENCE OF THE MALEVOLENT BLACK! MWAHAHA!”

After finishing his third cup of coffee, Wing Dings made his way to the basement door. Before descending, he turned to his brother, “Sans, be sure to accompany them. I don’t want the collar damaged. It’s my only prototype.”

Red scowled but made an affirmative grunt. _should prob’ly make sure luce’s lil’ sis is ok, too. i’d feel bad if somethin’ happened to ‘er._

While Red was thinking, Edge was doing the dishes. The tall skeleton glanced out the window above the sink and noticed something strange.

“BROTHER, THERE’S AN AWFUL LOT OF CROWS IN THE YARD.”

Curious, Red joined his brother at the sink and peered out the window.

Sure enough, the trees outside were laden with crows and ravens alike. All of them faced the house in complete silence, just watching. A shiver trickled down Red’s spine, but he kept his voice light, “well, you know wha’ they say, bro,” Edge’s eyes narrowed as Red grinned cheekily, “birds of a feather flock together”.

“NYAH!” _Thwap_. The towel Edge was using to dry the dishes smacked the shorter skeleton in the face as Edge stormed out of the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *aggressive cackling* soon my lovelies soooooooooonnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. To Kill Or Not To Kill...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Red and the FellSwap brothers finally go get their human? Hehe Nothing good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well shit! It has been a minute hasn't it? I started, like, three classes in January and I SEVERELY underestimated the workload so.... This took awhile.

Breakfast for the De la Cour family was a far more cheerful affair than the past few weeks. Bacon sizzled on the stove as Yvonne attending to the pancakes on a griddle set up on the counter. Valentin made scrambled eggs, while his twin chopped up various fruits and set out other toppings. The eldest fae was at the dining room table arguing over the phone.

“As I’ve said before, I am busy, Matthias. I do not care about your little _t_ _ête-_ _à-t_ _ête_ over there.”

“But—"

“Is it really so important that you cannot handle it?”

“Well, no,” the poor man tried, “But I—”

“Then I see no reason for me to be there.” Tempeste rolled her eyes. She had recruited the elf so _she_ wouldn’t have to deal with the utter stupidity of the many human courts. The first twenty years of those ‘meetings’ were more than necessary to convince her of humans’ inability to do much of anything, leadership-wise.

“Her Majesty, Queen Titania, refuses to meet with me. Perhaps you could call her?” Matthias attempted a compromise.

Tempeste agreed, but remained silent, relishing in Matthias’ tense anticipation of her answer. The fae enjoyed making the high elf’s life… inconvenient.

“Very well,” her lips twitched in amusement as Matthew sighed in relief, “I will contact Titania after my lunch.”

“Thank you so much, Yo—” _click_. Tempeste hung up on him.

Soon, breakfast was ready, and the table was set, curtesy of Yvonne and the twins. The two youngest of their family were telepathically awoken by Monique and all six of the siblings were at the table for the first time in almost a month. As everyone began to load food onto their plates, Tempeste watched Claire, who had yet to serve herself anything.

“Are you not hungry, _mon colibri_?” she quietly asked the red head beside her.

Claire kept her head down, eyes on her hands clasped in her lap. _Pets are always served last._

“Claire?”

Silence.

“ _Ça va, ma s_ _œur?”_ As she spoke, Tempeste reached out to her sister, but Claire flinched away. The dark fae froze, hand hovering in the air. Slowly, she withdrew and stood from her seat at the head of the table. Carefully, she picked up Claire’s empty plate and began to place food on it for her. When it was set back in front of her, it had a small amount of bacon and eggs as well as a single pancake with all her favorite toppings.

“ _Chérie, tu dois manger_ ,” Tempeste pleaded. “Just a little?”

As Claire picked up her fork, she noticed a smiley face near her pancake drawn in chocolate syrup. _It’s just like when I was a kid and T made me breakfast._ The woman’s eyes shone with tears, but she smiled a little and began to eat.

 _Do you want to talk about it later?_ Monique telepathically asked Claire. Silently, Claire agreed.

* * *

That evening, long after nightfall, three skeletons made their way across town, following the signal of WingDings’ collar. It led them to an old warehouse on the Northern outskirts of the small city. Red looked at the building in disgust. “what a dump. ya sure she’s in there?”

“If Your Brother Is As Smart As He Thinks He Is Then, Yes,” Black narrowed his eye sockets. Of all the places to go, why here? “Be On Guard. This Is… Suspicious.”

The bony trio entered cautiously.

It was dark, the only light in the gloom came from three sets of eye lights.

After a minute, Red mumbled in irritation, “where th’ hell ‘re th’ lights?”

As soon as the words left his teeth, the lights overhead fizzled to life, revealing a tall, shadowed figure on the catwalk over head.

“ _Bonjour_ , boys,” Tempeste smiled at them as she leaned on the railing, her head resting elegantly on her left hand, arm propped on the metal bar before her. “Did you enjoy your walk?”

“Where Is She?” shouted the tiny tyrant below.

The fae 'innocently' tilted her head to the other side, horns glimmering in the dim light. The eerie smile remained on her lips, “What ever do you mean, _cher_?”

Black’s cheekbones colored slightly at the endearment. French was common in this country, so they all understood a minuscule amount.

“M-My Human, She’s Supposed To Be Here,” his scowl deepened and fists clenched. The short skeleton wanted to go home already. “I Traced Her Here Through Her Collar.”

Recognition sparked in the woman’s eyes, “Ah, you mean this one?” With a flourish, the collar appeared, dangling from her slender fingers, taunting the trio below.

Mutt’s eye sockets widened, where was his—

“WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS MY PET?!”

Tempeste’s eyebrow twitched. One of the light bulbs above exploded, sending a spray of sparks.

“Pet?” the woman straightened, smiled falling, eyes flashing, “You made my sister youR PET?!”

Red stumbled back as raven wings spread behind the fae. More lights sparked and shattered. With a single flap of her dark wings, Tempeste leapt over the railing, landing mere feet away from her prey. Electricity was dancing across her form, and Red thought if he wasn’t afraid for his life, he would be incredibly aroused right now. _collar be damned, i ain’ dustin’ fer this! wings c’n make another one._

“I was going to allow you to live,” the dark fae snarled, “but I’ve changed my mind.” Electricity built up in her hands as she stalked toward Black.

“wait!” with a shortcut, Mutt stood before her, his brother safe behind him, “wait, please?”

The woman paused; brow raised in silent question.

Knowing time was short, Mutt thought fast, “me. take me ‘nstead. a siblin’ fer a siblin’, y’know?”

She huffed in amusement, and Mutt knew she was going to say no. But then, she froze; as if someone was speaking to her.

* * *

 _Take it. Take him with us,_ Monique whispered into her elder sister’s mind.

 _What? No!_ Tempeste hissed back, _I won’t accept anything less than the death of that **petit b**_ ** _âtard_** _._

_Sister, that’s Claire’s soulmate! Take. The. Deal._

_…fine._

Tempeste glared but let her power fizzle out and folded her arms. “Two months.”

Mutt stared, “what?” Wasn’t she going to kill him?

The woman sighed, “I will spare him, _if_ you come with me for two months. A sibling for a sibling, no? She was returned to me, so I cannot keep you _against your will_ forever.”

The lanky skeleton recognized her tone. She was negotiating.

“three weeks. s’only fair.”

“Four. Final offer, _mon cher_.”

“Deal.”

They shook hands. As they did so, small threads of her electric magic twisted around their joined hands; a faerie deal is unbreakable.

Once the deal was made, Tempeste refolded her arms and looked off to the side. “Say your farewells.” The two brothers froze, not expecting kindness from her. “What? I am petty, not cruel.”

Mutt said his goodbyes softly, not really expecting his brother to say much. He was shocked when Black hugged him. Awkwardly. ~~They don’t do affection, okay?~~

While the FellSwap brothers saying goodbye, Red kind of shuffled his way closer to Tempeste.

“um… c’n, uh, c’n i get that collar back?” He shrunk into the fur of his jacket, red sweat sliding down his skull. She said nothing. “i-i-it’s kinda ‘mportant t’ma bro an—” She raised a brow. “kno’ what? nev’rmin’,” he slowly slid back to his original spot, “s’not tha’ important anyway.”

When the brothers parted, Mutt made his way to Tempeste’s side. Then she said, “If he wants his contraption back, he can come get it himself.” And with a snap of her fingers, they were gone, Mutt’s collar left where he had stood.

Black snatched it up shoving it into his pocket. Then. The remaining lights went out, leaving the two skeletons in the dark. Red pulled out his phone intending to use the flashlight on it to light their way out.

“shit. ma phone’s dead. what ‘bout yers?”

“Mine Is Dead As Well.”

“aww man!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question. Do y'all want translations for the French? Cuz there's gonna be a lot.


End file.
